step by step
phrase
by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradually.
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step by step
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step-by-step
step-by-stepadjectivegiving or involving one task or action at a time toward a goal.
step by step
1 Americanphrase
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by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradually.
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by completing one task or action at a time toward the accomplishment of a goal.
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by taking one step after another with the feet, or at a slow, deliberate walking pace.
step-by-step
2
American
adjective
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giving or involving one task or action at a time toward a goal.
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happening or done by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradual.
step by step
Idioms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sit down with him and outline, step by step, how you work and what changes you’ve had to make to his work.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
"And step by step he started to take confidence."
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
In this framework, the brain does not rely only on a step by step flow of information.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
"That is why we are doing it carefully, step by step -- for what we can predict," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
I walked away from the children, step by step up the stairs, trying to focus my eyes on nothing but the Diamants’ door.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Market Hulbert provided a step-by-step guide to setting up a retirement income stream for 30 years with a guaranteed inflation-adjusted withdrawal rate of 5%.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
I like to enjoy my noods in soup form, but you can also follow this step-by-step process for stir-fried noodles.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
At its annual developer conference, Microsoft Build, the group unveiled MAI-Thinking-1, its first "reasoning" model -- AI systems that break down problems step-by-step before responding, similar to offerings from OpenAI, Google or Anthropic.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
In recent decades, so-called scrum teams—cross-functional groups focused on deploying and iterating quickly—have replaced a slower, step-by-step engineering methodology known as “waterfall.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Maybe she was saying that a true crafter made do, and part of the joy of crafting was creating without step-by-step directions and a kit.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
